A new hit Netflix mini-series is shining a harsh light on the dangers of toxic online cultures, prompting conversations among Maltese parents and experts about the growing threat to adolescent mental health.
The troubling rise of misogynistic figures like Andrew Tate, combined with harmful online trends, is creating a perfect storm of isolation and radicalisation among today’s youth. And experts have warned of a ticking time bomb unless parents and educators start understanding today’s youth trends.
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Adolescence tells the story of Jamie Miller, a 13-year-old boy accused of murdering a girl at his school. The gripping four-part drama, shot in a single take to mimic real time, pulls no punches in exploring themes such as bullying, online radicalisation and incel culture.
Incel, short for involuntary celibate, is defined as a member of an online community of mostly young men who do not feel they are attractive to women and who often have negative views of women.
But how close is this to reality? Times of Malta spoke to two child mental health professionals, Nigel Camilleri and Franica Camilleri, about whether the issues raised in the show reflect the reality in Malta.
Franica Camilleri, who specialises in adolescent psychology and domestic violence, said her gut reaction when watching the show was anger towards the system.
She noted that while many viewers immediately blamed the parents portrayed in the series, the school’s failure to intervene was just as concerning.
“Schools have been more focused on catching up with the syllabus, but they’ve forgotten the importance of teaching values and empathy. You can build or break a person at school – they spend most of their time there.”
The series tackles the perfect storm of isolation and radicalisation among today’s youth. Photo: NetflixCamilleri believes teachers must be trained to spot signs of depression, self-harm and emotional distress. Children need both discipline and warmth, she stressed, and a single teacher can make a world of difference.
She added that if intervention, from any adult, including parents and teachers, doesn’t happen in time, it “may be too late. Once a personality is formed, you can’t change it.”
She recounted a past case involving a teenage boy with a striking resemblance to Jamie’s character – isolated and angry.
“My first thought was, thank God, you can’t buy a firearm like in America because this would be a perfect case,” she said.
“He built up so much internal anger that he became a ticking time bomb, ready to explode.”
Although the boy’s parents played a role, she said the school never stepped in to find out what was going on.
“What he needed was a bond. One consistent adult,” she said.
‘Bigger effort by adults to keep up’
She added that adults need to make more effort to understand the digital world children are growing up in.
Psychologist Franica Camilleri“
Adults – teachers, parents, society in general – we all need to keep up,” she said.
“Children speak a language, through emojis and innuendos, that adults often don’t even understand. They’re navigating a world we didn’t grow up in. But we have to try to keep up. This is their world now.”
Both experts stressed the importance of reaching young people on their level, even if the content doesn’t personally interest adults.
One such influence is Andrew Tate – a polarising internet personality known for his misogynistic rhetoric.
He is currently facing charges of human trafficking and rape in Romania, sexual aggression allegations in the UK and sexual assault and battery allegations in the US.
Tate has amassed more than 10 million followers on X, formerly Twitter.
“Let’s be honest – most adults don’t even know who he is,” Camilleri said.
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“So how can they help young people make sense of what he says? Whether it’s harmful or not, we can’t guide them if we’re not even aware.”
She added that a domestic violence lawyer recently told her that the last three cases she handled all involved defendants who were Andrew Tate followers.
Edward William Johnston – the man accused of murdering Nicolette Ghirxi – was also a known follower of Tate and had posted content praising him online.
Psychologist Nigel CamilleriDr Nigel Camilleri agreed that these figures are having a significant and troubling impact.
“These influences are shaping many of today’s young men – and we’re ending up with many broken men who are relying on harmful models,” he said.
“There’s a huge social pressure on men to ‘man up’, to suppress emotion. There’s a lot of noise around sex, masculinity, and figures like Andrew Tate.”
‘Be empathetic and non-judgmental’
Even passive exposure to online content can be harmful, he added.
“We’re seeing this all the time – random content, suggestive adverts, harmful images. Even if you don’t explicitly know what you are consuming,” he said.
The problem is not exclusive to boys. Camilleri said he first heard about Tate’s arrest from his own teenage daughter, who spoke of the influencer with a hint of admiration.
“That’s a young teenage girl – and it shows how deeply this stuff has entered their world.”
He clarified that the answer is not to reject social media altogether, but to educate both parents and children.
“We don’t need to know everything – they need us to listen, to be empathetic and non-judgmental.”
He also urged parents to let go of perfectionism.
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The final scene of Adolescence resonates deeply. In it, Jamie’s father asks: “How did we make her?” – referring to Jamie’s sister. The mother responds: “The same way we made him.” At that moment, the mother accepts that she is “good enough”. “Not perfect. And that’s the point: perfect parents don’t make resilient children. Good enough parents do,” Camilleri said.
He believes much of Jamie’s behaviour was a reflection of his father’s unhealed trauma. Though the father never physically abused his children, having been beaten himself as a child, he carried that pain forward.
As a result, Jamie was emotionally dysregulated: overreacting when challenged or made uncomfortable.
“These are patterns we can work on with our youth – through mindfulness, exercise, hobbies. These give purpose and build healthy coping mechanisms,” Camilleri said. “And when needed, there are professionals who can help too.”
One initiative he praised is the Richmond Foundation’s Iron Minds campaign, a four-day awareness programme using sport to promote men’s mental health.
“It’s a step in the right direction,” he said.